"Isn't the Reef already dead?"

My friend questioned me when I told him about my plan to visit the Great Barrier Reef.

I pondered on the spot. I was speechless to his question. And immediately that evening, I googled about it at home. Most websites tell me the reefs were dying. But dying is not the same as being dead. So I decided that I should just go find out myself...

Flying From Sydney to Cairns

I took a detour to Cairns during my visit to Sydney via Virgin Airline. My first experience flying with Virgin was incredible! Wifi on board with spacious comfortable seats. Have I decided on traveling to GBR earlier before booking my flight to Sydney, I'd have flown directly from Toronto to Cairns. I’d save on time and cost. A flight from Sydney to Cairns took about 3 hours one way. So, for both flights to and back costed me 6 hours.

Down Under Tour Excursion

Source

After researching online and reading reviews, I joined Down Under Cruise & Dive for their Great Barrier Reefs Snorkeling and Diving Excursion with Will. The full day trip out in the reefs with a choice of snorkelling and introductory scuba diving appealed to me the most.

Some great things about this tour:

• You get on a fully equipped vessel with no more than 140 people on board
• You get proper and well kept snorkel and diving equipment
• The tour takes you to the outer edge of the Great Barrier Reef to exclusive mooring locations. So you only have people from the same boat in the water with you
• The boat is spacious and air-conditioned, clean and well-maintained. Good enough size for you to walk around the boat
• Full length sundecks for sunbathing
• Complimentary Aussie BBQ lunch including steak, fish, prawns, sausages, salad, fruit and cheese platter upon departing. You get to fill your tummy after a full-day of fun!
• Live Australian Musical Entertainment on board
• Options for certified or introductory dives for additional cost
• You also have the option for scenic helicopter flights to and from their exclusive Heli-Pontoon on the Outer Reef for additional cost
• Well-trained and friendly staff on board to keep you informed 
• Organized procedures and safety precautions. They made sure everyone on board understand the safety requirements and those who are diving have done a safety lesson before diving
• Photographer on board and out in the water to help you take photos. You can purchase them individually or in a package
• Free 5 minute scuba diving lesson. If you like it, you can continue your guided scuba diving with the certified diving instructor who takes you 30 feet under water to see the most gorgeous corals and marine life.

Sounds like a great excursion so far, right? Until...

we left the dock and en route to the reefs, I started to feel sea sick. The vessel didn’t rock much but I still felt woozy. I never had motion sickness before despite sometimes I felt the motion from travelling on large cruise ships. Will purchased a seasick pill from the crew for me but it didn't help at all. Not only did I feel worse as the boat sailed further away in the open water, I felt like I was going to puke any time.

I stepped out of the lounge and headed outside to get some fresh air. Then, I realized I wasn't the only one feeling sick. Half of the people on this tour were out here with a vomit bag in their hands. Luckily, the crew members were attentive and knew exactly what to do in this situation.

Snorkeling at Our First Outer Reef Location

After an hour or so of cruising, we finally arrived to our first outer reef location. We had the option to rent out the wetsuits for additional cost ($10AUD/pp) to keep us warm in the water. But heck, we were from Canada! This was nothing compared to what we had to deal with over there. So we passed on the wetsuits. Instead, Will grabbed a life jacket and I grabbed onto one of those water noodle. Then, off we went to snorkel.

The water was cold, not as clear as the Caribbean water but we were still able to see a lot of colourful fishes.

And the moment of truth, what about the corals?

From just the bare surface, the corals looked dull and muddy. Completely different from what you’d see in Little Mermaid or any desktop wallpaper on Google. I also needed to float and tread continuously so that I wouldn’t crush the reefs beneath me. After snorkeling for about an hour, I was ready to explore the mysterious ocean for more marine life. I was happy we tried out the free introductory scuba diving. Because the experience blew our minds.

Both Will and I had never been diving before. But, we did travel over 15000 km to get here so, passing on a complimentary 5-minute lesson hadn’t crossed our minds at all.

Passing the Diving Test

The crew members helped us wear the tanks on our backs. Because, these things were heavy, like carrying another human being on my back! We dipped into the water and performed a series of fundamental diving tasks that we learned from the instructor. Such as giving proper hand signal to tell our instructor that things were okay, clearing our masks in water and putting them back on. At first try, I panicked and failed the test. I almost forgot how to breath. Dropping into the water without breathing through my nostrils was intimidating and confusing. But after calming myself down, I tried again. I remembered to breathe through my oxygen mask this time. And I could feel the compressed air filling up my lungs. I passed the test. The instructor approved us continuing, so we took the plunge and began our underwater journey!

Submerging 30 Feet Under

We submerged down to the ocean, unaware of how far we sank. I only wanted to concentrate on my breathing because the only sound I could hear was my lungs throbbing. As we sank further down, my ears started to hurt. The instructor must had felt the same way and signaled me to blow my ears to equalize the water pressure. I blew hard and my ears popped. When I got more used to the rhythm I then realized a massive, bottomless coral reef was right beside me!

Seeing the size of the reef was eye-opening! We held onto our instructor as he made his way through the reefs, showing us all the marine life. So beautiful and a lot more colourful than what we saw from just snorkeling on the surface. All the interesting sizes and shapes of the corals amazed me. Some looked like branches, some shaped like a brain and some were waving like thick spaghettis. Our adventure at the GBR had transcended to another level of awesomeness. This memory of us scuba diving would last us a lifetime.

At the end of this tour, Will actually learned how to swim (thanks to the swim fins) and me? I now know what it's like to be a mermaid underwater :)

Some pictures during our excursion to share with you. Even though these were nowhere near to describe the adrenaline that went through my body. But, I hope these pictures inspire you to scuba dive if you haven't already! I highly recommend it!

Watch My Underwater Adventure

Few Tips that I Learned to Fight Sea-Sickness While Cruising to The Reef

• Take Gravel or sea-sick pills few hours before boarding on the boat. It takes time in order to have its effect. 
• Stay closer to the center of the vessel. You’ll feel the least motion there.
• Get fresh air. Stuffy air, especially if you're in a room crowded with people will only make you feel worse.
• Look at something far away and never focus on something near you, such as never stare at the waves outside the window.
• Don't be afraid to grab a vomit bag. I promise you'll feel better once stuffs are out of your system!

Happy Divin'!

Snowboarding on the Rocky Mountains has always been on my bucket list. When Will told me he wanted to do a snowboarding trip over the weekends, I actually hesitated at first. I didn’t think I was skilled enough to snowboard on "real mountains" yet (even though I’ve been boarding for quite some years already...) But like cool people always say, yolo right? We had two destinations to choose from, Whistler, British Columbia or Banff, Alberta. I’ve been wanting to revisit Banff as an adult, so I decided to head over there and gave it all I’ve got!!!

It was -22 degrees Celsius in Banff, so much colder than what we were both used to in Toronto! Good thing was we learned a great deal out of this trip. You could read more here.

Will was very diligent in prepping me for this trip too. We went boardin' almost every other weekend to get me warmed up and "better" in my skills. We even went boxing day shopping for new gears! And that's when I finally invested in a proper ski jacket and a pair of insulated snow pants. Ha-ha. I felt much more deserving to board on the Rockies.

We went to Sunshine Village and Lake Louise Ski Resort on two separate days where we got to hit some fresh pow. Wearing 5 layers of clothes and 3 pairs of pants, we thought we were pretty much set to embrace the cold. I kept reminding myself to stay calm and to be cautious of all the surroundings around me. I seriously did not want to end up having an experience like this guy.

We took the gondola up the mountains when I realized how massive these mountains are! The gondola ride literally took 20 minutes and that was only to the start of the slopes. We still had to take another ski lifts to get us to the top of the peak! The ride was very overwhelming and frightening to look down. I didn't want to move a single muscle.

The runs were huge and wide open. But the flurries made it hard to see where we were going. Everything was white! I still enjoyed the runs regardless. The music from my iPod really calmed me down a lot. Otherwise, I'd be listening to my own breathing and every single heartbeat in my chest. The mountains and the trees were splendid. We just wished the sky was clearer so we could have a better look at this amazing view. I also rode glades for the first time in my life. It was nerve-wrecking but very exciting! (And thank God, I didn't hit a tree!)

At the end of this trip, I felt that my snowboarding skills improved tremendously. The runs were so long that they could be tiring. The trip was definitely a memorable experience for me and I'm so glad I did it! One more thing off my list! Now I could say that I'm no longer an amateur snowboarder ;)

Check out my other bucket list activities!

Mountain Biking Fun in Durham Forest
Conquering Fear on High Ropes at YMCA
Ziplining and Winery Fun
Indoor Skydiving in Niagara
Surviving from White Water Rafting

When the hubs asked me to do a short winter getaway over the weekends, my immediate reaction was "Heck ya!". I'd always love an escape away from the cold to where the sun and beaches are, like that time I went to Punta Cana or Cuba! I did some snorkelling, partying on a catamaran, and horse back riding. So much fun!

Until I realized that our wavelengths weren't in sync this time. He was actually thinking of heading over to the Rockies to do a snowboarding trip together...! Even though, it was a complete opposite to what I had in mind, but boarding on top of the Rockies had always been on my bucket list. It's one of the things I wanted to check off before having a baby. So, without whining for too long, I agreed to the trip. And we decided to head to Banff, Alberta!

Our short four-day trip included visiting city of Calgary. And it was jam-packed with sight seeing, fun activities and of course, GREAT FOOD!

We also learned a few interesting things from our trip:

Pack layers to keep warm

First thing before anything and it's the most important tip I could give you for having a fun and comfortable trip in Alberta is to pack warm layers. Toronto was -5 degrees when we left to Calgary early morning. If you think that was cold already, Calgary was -15 when we arrived! And Banff was -20! Brutally cold. Luckily, my motherly hubby went over my luggage (seriously he did!) to make sure I packed some thermal layers, thick socks and warm boots. Here's to give you some insights of what I wore to stay warm:

For snowboarding I wore:

• Two pair of socks (one as a under layer and a pair of snowboarding socks on top)
• A pair of yoga pants and my sweatpants under my snow pants
• Layers with a breathable dry-fit t shirt, a thermal fleece, a hoodie under my ski jacket
• Mittens underneath my gloves
• Helmet
• Face mask

For sightseeing I wore:

• Two pair of socks (one thicker and longer than the other)
• Leggings underneath my jeans
• Layers with tank top, sweatshirt, knitted cardigan under my down jacket
• Knitted toque
• Gloves
• Uggs
• Scarf

To be honest, I actually felt pretty warm for the most part, so I thought I was pretty successful this trip.

On frozen Lake Minnewanka 

Rent a car with winter tires

To make our trip flexible, we rented a car through Enterprise to get us around for four days. As soon as we picked up our baggage, we went to get the car at the airport. It was very convenient! Because we were carrying our snowboarding gears, we booked a full-sized vehicle. That meant more space to fit our bags. Enterprise gave us a few options to choose from: a Hyundai Sonata, a Volkswagen Jetta, an Infinity Maxima and an Audi Quattro. But we realized none of these vehicles had winter tires on! Like seriously?! It snowed for the majority of the time while we were there. And we knew that the road conditions could be worse going up and down the mountains in Banff. So at the end, we chose the Audi. At least it was an all-wheel drive, for more control on slippery roads. But still, it was scary driving uphill and downhill on unplowed roads. Another thing we weren't aware of was that the Audi was considered as a premium luxury car. And we had not been told that the car would cost us extra on top of our agreed rental fee. Luckily, we managed to reason them but we learned how to avoid surprises next time.

En route to Banff from Calgary

Public parking is expensive in Calgary

We earned two extra hours back in Calgary because of the time zone difference. Gotta love that! So, it was still breakfast time when we arrived to the city. But we didn't realize parking in the financial district is that much more expensive compared to Toronto! We paid $14 for parking! And that wasn't for the whole day, it was only for AN HOUR! If we didn't have a tight schedule, we'd probably park somewhere else and walked to the restaurant. Oh well!

Frozen lakes and waterfalls are insanely beautiful

On our way to Banff from Calgary, the breathtaking view was hard to miss. We stopped over at Lake Minnewanka and experienced what it was like to be walking on frozen lake. I felt minuscule standing in the middle around the rocky mountains. We also did a little hike up the icy trail to Johnston Canyon lower falls. It was a challenging hike because of the trail conditions but it was well worth it. I mean, just look at these photos!

Frozen lower waterfall at Johnston Canyon

Hiking trail at Johnston Canyon

Moraine Lake is inaccessible by car

After visiting Lake Minnewanka, the hubs wanted to take me to Moraine Lake. Being a passenger, I only had one job and that was to enter destination spots on the GPS. I typed in Moraine Lake on Google Maps and it said no route found. I entered the same in Apple Maps, and it led us to a road block. We realized the only way to get to Moraine Lake was by walking or skiing.

Locals speak with an Aussie accent 

We found it very interesting when we learned that locals in Alberta speak with an accent. As fellow Canadians, we were curious and unaware of the different dialect. Whether it was the waitress from Calgary, or the staff member at Lake Louise, or the bartender in Banff, they all speak in an Australian-esque accent. On our last day before leaving Banff, I finally asked the concierge about it. Apparently a lot of the early settlers were from Australia. They fell in love with the province and viewed Banff as a dream working destination. And eventually the dialect evolved with an Aussie accent, and now known as an Albertan accent.

View on Lake Louise is subjected to weather

Visiting Lake Louise was a definite must. We couldn't really say we've been to Alberta without taking a picture and stepping onto Lake Louise. Yes, we actually stepped onto the frozen Lake Louise. In fact, we even skated on the lake! Being one of the the most beautiful outdoor skating rinks in the world, we did not think twice about skating there despite the extreme cold alert. But, it was a snowy day when we were there, we could barely see the picturesque Rockies behind the flurries. So, we came back again on another day to catch the view.

Skating on frozen Lake Louise

Perfect place to improve my snowboarding

We went to Sunshine Village and Lake Louise Ski Resort on two separate days to snowboard. And boy! What an experience! The gondola ride up the mountains took probably 20 minutes or so before we could finally start to ski/snowboard. It took another ski lift to get to the peak of the mountain! That was how big and high the mountains were! But because of its sheer size, there were so many different runs for different skill levels. And all the runs were long and wide, so I didn't have to worry about crashing into other boarders or skiers and could concentrate on perfecting my technique.

Check out my post on {My Bucket List} Snowboarding on Rocky Mountains in Banff

Banff Upper Hot Spring could close due to extreme cold weather

After we spent two days snowboarding, we wanted to take a dip into the hot spring to relax our muscles on the last day. But, the funny thing was even the hot spring had to close because it was too cold to operate! Too bad we didn't get to try the hot spring otherwise it would be an experience doing it under -22 degrees weather.

Driving in snowy condition without winter tires

Meat in Alberta is mouthwatering delicious

Alberta is known for their meat particularly their beefs. Most restaurants catered to bringing the farm-to-table concept. While we were in Banff, we planned a steak night to reward ourselves after conquering the mountains. We went to Melissa's Missteak Restaurant as recommended by the locals there. The restaurant was built as a homestead hotel in the 30s so it had a rustic homey feel to its interior. The staff showed us a case of the different cuts of the beef to help us order our food. But, we both didn't want to settle for anything else other than the prime ribs. And I was glad we didn't! The steaks were super tender, perfectly cooked and juicy. It also came with sourdough bread, yorkshire pudding, roasted veggies and a choice of baked potatoes, mashed potatoes or French fries.

The sourdough bread was soft on the inside and crispy on the outside! Their French onion soup was one of the best I've had!

This 8oz medium rare prime rib was cooked to perfection with yorkshire pudding, mashed potatoes and roasted veggies

On another night, we tried some great baby pork ribs at Park Distillery Restaurant and Bar. The restaurant specialized in campfire-inspired cooking. So, their ribs had a very strong smokey flavour like you would expect from a campfire. Super tasty and the meat came right off the bones. Be sure to try their pulled pork fingers too. They were addictive!

Smokey-savoury barbecue baby back ribs and Bubba's mac n' cheese with buttermilk fried chicken

Food is surprisingly good

We had breakfast at Holy Grill in Calgary upon arriving. It took us roughly 15 minutes walking in circle on the street to find this restaurant. Until we got help from a security guy inside an office building, we then realized the restaurant was actually on the 2nd floor. As a tourist, I thought this was a true hidden gem. So hidden, we almost missed it. Their hash browns (or they call it, Smash browns) were so crispy that I'm still thinking about them today.

Pacific Benedict with Smoked Salmon and Wakey Wakey breakfast with smash browns at Holy Grill

We also had a great breakfast at Tooloulou's in Banff. We just skipped the lineup before the crowd started to form around 9:30. We had pork belly egg benny and a breakfast poutine that came with scrambled eggs, bacon, cheese, potatoes, bacon, caramelized onions... Gosh, I wished we had these in Toronto!

Breakfast Poutine and Eggs Benny with pork belly at Tooloulou's

All in all, we had a blast in Banff, Alberta, despite the fact that we went right after a snowstorm and the city was stuck at minus 20 degrees for the entire span of our trip. We learned a great deal from this getaway and we can't wait to go back again to enjoy the scenery better in Summer time!

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{My Bucket List} Snowboarding on the Rocky Mountains in Banff

I can't believe the day has already come and I'm already somebody's wife! Looking back at the wedding, I feel that we've accomplished a lot. It was the biggest project I've ever done in my life. Wedding is a lot of work! Especially for someone like me, who likes to do everything herself, like the invitations, reception decor, car decor, centerpieces, wedding favours, and games. At one point, I even thought of making my own wedding cake. Luckily, I have some very rational friends who stopped me, otherwise it would be extra stress for myself and my better half. And the advices that all the married couple gave me about weddings are so true, nothing's gonna be perfect, and ours wasn't either. But, I'm happy to hear that my guests had a wonderful time, at least we get to party until the venue kicked us out.

Here's a highlight video of our big day. Many thanks to Norris Wong and crew for keeping their professionalism and cool throughout this hectic day. Enjoy the video!

{Everything about my wedding}

How I Made My Own Wedding Centerpieces
Our Engagement Photoshoot and What to Wear

{My kind of gingerbread house}

Christmas is by far my favourite occasions of the year. I just love the festivities across the world and it is one of the few occasions that everyone celebrates and partake in no matter which religion or race you're in.

Here are some of the things I did during this holiday season and how you could also enjoy a bright and festive holiday next time.